IBM Thinkpad 600E bios mod for processor update

Don't ask how to hack password. (BIOS Passwords)
andrewz
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Badman,
Sorry to hear of your bad luck.

I just received my PIII 600, see my above post and it works fine. I got the 127 error and edited the bios. It's running the FSB at 98. something Mhz. I'm excited about that!

Only problem is the fan, On start up it runs at high speed, then as XP starts it slows, then stops. At last look the CPU was at 55C so I shut down to let it cool off. The PII 366 ran around 36C but the fan ran constantly.

Is this a problem anyone else has had?

Andrewz
andrewz
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Does anyone have a bios fix or any way to keep the fan on high speed all the time? I can't find anything in WinXP that will work.
Andrewz
Sharedoc
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This is mysterious, since fan speed is controlled by a microcontrolled on the mainboard. XP has nothing to do with it...

Does the fan work ok with the old processor?
Sharedoc
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There is a way to force the fan always on. Just take +5 volts or +3.3 volts somewhere from the mainboard big capacitor + end and take it to the fan (red wire) using a diode.
chantage
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sjs7 wrote:ok, well i've compiled the grub from here

http://kihwal.fayoly.net/600e/grub.html

and installed it and rebooted but i am still not sure the L2 cache has been re-enabled.

things still seem pretty slow, i dont know how to know for sure if its on.

-snip-
Do "cat /proc/cpuinfo" to see whether the l2 cache is enabled. If it says cache size=256KB, you've got it right. Otherwise it will probably say 32KB, which is the size of L1 cache. This information is not updated after booting the kernel, so if wmarcusm's driver is used, you need to check with "x86info" (run as root).

Don't forget to put "tpad" command in the /boot/grub/grub.conf.
kanoyams
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This thread has been absolutely inspiring. Many thanks!

With a heavy heart, I had considered retiring my 600e soon, which I carried all throughout college and grad school. Although a machine, it is a dear and trusted friend.

Thanks to the information you've all provided, it's likely to continue running. The 600e is a rare, fantastic piece of hardware.

Does anyone recommend any specific brand of RAM/PIII combinations, for ease of installation? Thanks for all your help, much appreciated!
Sharedoc
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700Mhz or 750Mhz PIII are best choice from price/performance point of view.
For memory propably best choice is to have 2 * 256M and check if internal 32M memory works ok. There is a list of working 256M memory types in the thread.
kanoyams
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Thanks Sharedoc!

Actually, there's another question I have: There's something odd about my Thinkpad. It has 64 megs of internal RAM and with a single 256 MB stick installed, it registers 320 RAM on board. How is this possible?

I used to think the 600e maxes out at 256 RAM, although now I can see that this is an incorrect assumption.
Sharedoc
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Hmmm, 64M internal RAM? What is the serial number?
ChrisThorne
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Wow, what an excellent and informative thread! Thank you to everyone who has contributed information. I have a 600E which has been my favorite machine ever, and this will be a big help in restoring it to life.

Until I finish that job, I have a 600X-450 here. I just opened it to replace a bad sub-card, and I noticed something odd.

I have seen the heat sink on a 600X-750, and it was visibly different from the heat sink on my old 600E-400. The 600E heatsink has a solid surface on top from edge to edge. The 600X heatsink that I saw has a round opening on top for the fan.

I have looked into this on ebay and such and there do seem to be two different heatsink designs, with two different FRU numbers.

And, when I was working inside of this 600X, I found that it has the 600E style heat sink. I have a 650Mhz processor here that I had planned to drop in to it, but I do not want to overload the cooling. Is it necessary to install the heatsink with the fan opening on top?
Sharedoc
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To be on the safe side I would install 600X heatsink for 600X.

If 600E heatsink is not fitting mechanically, it can twist the processor board which is bad for reliability. If heatsink is thermally insufficient, then instability follows.
ChrisThorne
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I just installed the new CPU.

Powered on. No boot. No selftest. No screen flicker. Nothing.

Removed new CPU and went back to the old one.

Powered on. No boot. No selftest. No screen flicker. Nothing.

I looked carefully at the new CPU connector. Oh, no, no, no,
are those bent pins?

Put on an optical headset. Yes. Bent pins, a row of them. Not
severely bent, but out of alignment.

The original CPU pins look fine.

I am thinking that the bent pins on the new unit caused a short
and killed the mobo.

Now I just want to kill myself. What a waste.
kanoyams
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Hmmm, 64M internal RAM? What is the serial number?
Sharedoc, my mistake. I opened it up and it was 32 megs of internal RAM and 32 megs of external that came with the system. I had always assumed that it had 64 internal.

I have another question: If I were to put in a 750 mhz P3, would I also need to make adjustments to the heatsink or fan? It was my understanding that running a slower P3 in powersave mode would make for a less complex, easier installation because some models ran cooler than the original P2.

By the way, it is a 2645-4AU, serial #78-PBH25 05/99
Sharedoc
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Original heatsink is ok for PIII-750.
Sharedoc
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Chris,

Bad luck. Did you try to straighten the pins with some small tool?
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